Privacy Policy

This web site (the “Site”) is owned and operated by the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress (“MDSC”) for the purpose of providing to its users information about MDSC branded services and products.

The MDSC is dedicated to preserving the privacy of all personal information about visitors to this Site. By using the Site, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.

The MDSC has a firm and consistent policy of not sharing or selling any information that you give us, except as described below. Any personally identifiable information collected by the MDSC on this Site is for providing users with information, products and services.

As a further explanation of our privacy policy, we have prepared this statement regarding the privacy practices for the Site. If you feel that MDSC is not abiding by its posted privacy policy, you should contact us immediately at mdsc@mdsc.org or Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, 20 Burlington Mall Road, Suite 261, Burlington, MA 01803 or phone 781-221-0024.

Cookies. The MDSC uses cookies as a means of facilitating future access. Cookies are pieces of information generated by our web server and stored on the end user's computer allowing visitors to move quickly through our site. The MDSC does not store any user's personal identifying information (such as name, address etc...) but keeps track of actions taken on the site. This helps us to avoid presenting repetitive information to users before they access the various e-information applications on the MDSC’s website. We believe that this use of cookies does not compromise the users’ privacy and security. At any time, users have the capability to turn off the cookies using their browser settings.

Log Files. An IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web. Web servers automatically will identify a computer by its IP address. We use IP addresses to analyze trends, administer the site, track users' movement and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information.

Sharing. We work with third-party companies to collect membership information on our Site or execute a specific promotion or program, such as event registration. In these cases, no personally identifiable information is stored on the Site, and the third parties are not allowed to use personally identifiable information, except for the purpose of providing these services.

Links. If this Site contains links to other sites, the MDSC is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every Site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Site.

Security. This Site takes every precaution to secure our users' information. When users submit personally identifiable information via the Site, your information is protected both online and off-line. If you have any questions about the security at our Site, you can send an e-mail to mdsc@mdsc.org.

Correction/Updating Personal Information. If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your zip code), or if a user no longer desires our service, we will endeavor to provide a way to correct, update or remove that user's personal data provided to us. This can usually be done by e-mailing our Customer Support at mdsc@mdsc.org.

Notification of Changes. If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on our Homepage, www.mdsc.org, so our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. If at any point we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will notify users on our Site.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Provisions. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), effective April 21, 2000, applies to the online collection of personal information from children under 13 (although we have drafted our policy to apply to any child under the age of 18). COPPA spells out what our Site must include in a privacy policy, when and how to seek verifiable consent from a parent and what responsibilities an operator has to protect children's privacy and safety online.

MDSC does not knowingly collect data for individuals that identify themselves as children under the age of 18. If a parent discovers that his or her child has submitted personal information to MDSC via the MDSC Site, they can remove their child from our database by sending an e-mail to mdsc@mdsc.org, or by postal mail at the address:

The MDSC will not use the personal information of any known child for any purpose, including marketing back to the child.

Use of the Site. The MDSC maintains this Site for your personal information, education and communication. Please feel free to browse the Site. You may download material displayed on the Site for non-commercial, personal use only provided you also retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained on the materials. You may not, however, distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, repost or use the content of the Site for public or commercial purposes, including the text, images, audio and video without MDSC’s written permission. Your access to and use of the Site is also subject to the MDSC’s terms and conditions posted on this Site. ("Terms and Conditions") and all applicable laws. By accessing and browsing the Site, you accept, without limitation or qualification, the Terms and Conditions and acknowledge that any other agreements between you and MDSC regarding this subject matter are superseded and of no force or effect.